Context
The idea came from a real building site: while building a bin shelter with a terrace extension, the client struggled to find the right guardrail, the pattern they truly fell for. Manufacturers work from DXF files for their laser cutting, but offering varied, custom patterns is not that simple. So I imagined MotifLab: a tool that creates decorative patterns on demand and outputs them in the right format, ready to cut, for guardrails, and more broadly for anyone who needs DXF files suited to laser cutting.
Approach / Solution
The principle: you first define a shape (mainly a rectangle the size of a standard guardrail, 1 × 2 m), then the tool scatters points across it following adjustable rules (density, size, distribution) to compose a pattern that is both random and harmonious. The result is exported as DXF, the vector format expected by laser-cutting machines. On the build side, I ran the project with Claude Code: I defined the need, the approach (scattering points within a shape) and the settings, and the tool saved me a huge amount of time on the implementation. I mainly had to fine-tune a few parameters so the output was both beautiful and manufacturable. A way to move fast without losing control of the result.
Results
A working piece of software, MotifLab, that turns an aesthetic intent into a ready-to-make file: pick the shape and parameters, get a unique pattern exported as DXF for laser cutting. Beyond the tool, this project reflects two things I care about: starting from a concrete real-world need to design something genuinely useful, and leveraging modern development tools to ship quickly while keeping control over the final quality.